Aiming and aligning are two different jobs. You aim the clubface at your target, then set your feet, knees, hips and shoulders parallel to the target line, which puts your body lines just left of the target for a right-hander (the 'railway tracks' picture). Get it wrong and your swing starts compensating to reach the target, which makes it less consistent.
Aim the clubface
Stand behind the ball and pick the line you want the ball to START on, not just the flag. If you curve the ball, that start line sits to one side of the flag.
you are choosing a line, not a point.
Pick an intermediate target on that line: a mark, divot or discoloured patch of grass a few inches in front of the ball. A close spot is easier to aim at than a far-off flag.
the far target shrinks to a spot you could touch.
Walk in from the side, at a right angle to the line, and set the clubface square to your intermediate spot first, before your feet settle. Check the face once you are in your address tilt, because standing upright gives a misleading look.
the face pointing straight over your spot.
Align body parallel
Now set your feet parallel to the target line, then let your knees, hips and shoulders stack up on that same line. Your body aims at the inner rail, not at the target.
your body lines running just left of the target (for a righty).
Check your shoulders, not just your feet. Feet can be square while the shoulders point well left. From address, hold a club across the front of your shoulders and see where it points.
the shoulder line matching the foot line, not swinging across it.
Look down your start line for a few seconds, then back at the ball, and swing. Don't re-aim your body with your eyes once you are set.
settled, with the picture of the line in your head.
Check with sticks
On the range, lay one stick (or club) along your toe line and one on the target line beside the ball, so you get honest feedback on where you are really set up. Misalignment is hard to feel.
the two sticks looking like railway tracks.
Practice only: under the Rules of Golf you can't set an object down to help you aim or take your stance during a round (Rule 10.2b(3), two-stroke penalty in stroke play), and a caddie can't stand behind you to line you up. Build the routine on the range so it works without the sticks.
your routine standing on its own.
Feel it
Clubface first, body second, every time. Parallel is the standard starting point, not an exact law: motion-capture data from good players shows their shoulders sit a few degrees open at address. The fault to avoid is the big one, shoulders and hips turned far left of your stance line. Expect to aim worse on the course than on the range and worse on long shots than short ones, so keep checking.
Fix-its
- You aim your body at the target This usually leaves you aimed right of it (for a righty). Aim the clubface at the target, then set your body parallel to the line.
- Your shoulders point well left of your feet (righty) Hold a club across your shoulders at address to check. If you slice, set the shoulders and hips a touch more closed than feels normal and hit small shots swinging along them.
- You aim at the flag, not your start line Pick the line the ball starts on, then aim the face over an intermediate spot on that line.
- You set your feet, then twist the face to the target Reverse the order: face to the spot first, then build your stance around it.
- Your alignment drifts shot to shot, or on the course Use the same pre-shot routine every time: stand behind, pick a spot, face first, feet, then shoulders.
Drill
- Two-stick setup: one stick on the target line, one on your toe line. Hit 10 balls, stepping away and re-setting fully before each one.
- Shoulder check: at address, hold a club across your shoulders and compare it with the toe-line stick. Repeat until they match on 5 setups in a row.
- Intermediate spot routine: for 10 balls, stand behind the ball, pick a spot a few inches ahead, aim the face over it, then set your feet and shoulders.
- Sticks-off test: pick up the sticks, hit 5 balls with only your routine, then lay a stick back down at your feet to check where you actually aimed.
- Range-to-course: alternate targets every ball (different flag, different club) so you practice aiming, not just repeating one setup.
Sources
- Amy Fox (LPGA Class A, 1999 LPGA National Teacher of the Year) — Get Your Alignment In-line (LPGA Amateur Golf Association)
- Rick Martino (former GOLF Top 100 Teacher) — Why your aim and alignment are poor and how to fix them, PGA Learning Center study (GOLF, 2001; republished 2024)
- Nick Gorman (PGA member, GOLFTEC) — Golf Swing Basics: Address Alignment, SwingTRU Motion Study (GOLFTEC, 2017)
- R&A / USGA — Rules of Golf, Rule 10.2b (Help with aiming and stance)
Last checked 2026-10-25.